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Sordid selfie shame of Cumbrian prison boss

A prison worker was sacked after it emerged he had sent lewd pictures of his private parts to a female colleague.

HMP Haverigg

Martin Wilkie, the former residential governor at HMP Haverigg, was dismissed after senior members of staff were made aware of the images and launched an investigation.

The graphic emails of Mr Wilkie’s genitals were sent from a work account, it was discovered.

The number of photographs he sent is not known.

HMP Haverigg was unable to comment but a statement issued through the National Offender Management Service, which runs the prison, said: “A member of staff at HMP Haverigg was dismissed in January 2014 following reports of improper conduct.

“It would not be appropriate to comment further.”

When the allegations emerged, Mr Wilkie was subjected to an internal investigation before being dismissed earlier this year.

The news comes as police in Cumbria have been urging youngsters not to send indecent images to others due to the long lasting implications they can have.

The category C prison has capacity for 644 inmates. Tony Corcoran, governor of the prison, along with former governors Martin Farquhar and Steve Valentine, have all stressed the importance of “decency” in day to day operations.

In 2010 it emerged a female member of staff had been disciplined after performing a lewd act, while on duty, with a colleague.

And in 2012 the prison hit the national headlines after prisoners used smuggled mobile phones to post pictures of themselves to Facebook from inside the jail, labelling it the Costa del Haverigg.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons visited the site, which dates back to the 1960s, earlier this year and a report on the inspection team’s findings is expected to be published in the next few months.